100% agree on the swing factor. More or less patterning on shot of any sort turkey, steel, bird or buck was what I was referring to. In regard to slugs more about accuracy and velocity. Essentially thinking of making a slug gun easier to maneuver in a deer stand with some sort of optic (red dot or ghost ring) that could also function as a home defense gun. I have killed 2 deer and four hogs with a waterfowl gun and a bead sight but it's a little hard to move around in tight spaces like a stand or house.What is the "difference" that we are discussing?
The assertion that there is not a huge difference in patterns between an 18.5 " barrel and a 28" barrel could be true at short distances with certain chokes. Certainly a very long forcing cone in a barrel 10" longer is going to produce better patterns than a short sharp cone. The variables are significant and many. But more importantly, the 28" barrel will almost certainly swing more smoothly and is much more likely to aid in hits than a little stubby barrel, so the pattern question is somewhat academic. And before Tommy Tactical comes aboard to tell us how brilliant he is on grouse with his 18" breaching barreled whatever... No.
For slugs, swing is much less a key factor for success, and while variables still abound, even with uber-super magnum loads, full combustion should have occurred in 18.5" , so, all other things being equal, the differences should be far less than with shot.
Why don't you believe that? Barrel length has NOTHING to do with shot pattern; the choke doesSaw a video the other day stating that there is not a huge difference in spread patterns between a 28in and 18.5in shotgun barrel with birdshot because of chokes. Not sure I believe that but does it make a huge difference for rifled slugs?
I agree. I have had a variety of shotguns (semi-autos, pumps, SxS, and O/U) and different barrel lengths, and generally have used them for clay targets (except long-range trap type games) and things like doves, black birds or other nuisance birds. I have generally gravitated to O/U and/or SxS with 26" barrels for most of my shooting. These days I prefer to shoot my 18.25" Auto-5 with screw-in chokes for a lot of my shotgunning, and I don't think I'm giving up much of anything with the shorter barrel. I like the way it feels, how quick swinging it is, but still has enough heft that it swings smoothly and hits where I'm looking.I stopped carrying any thing longer in the swamps and woods I hunt deer in a long time ago. Nothing longer than a 20". And that has chokes. I have shot many shells of buckshot at different distances and see no need to carry a longer barrel. My guess would be that someone that does a lot of shooting with a small barrel on doves etc. could do quite well with a short barrel.
That is exactly what I was looking for. Thank youSome years ago the American Rifleman Tec Staff did a laboratory study of shotgun barrel length to see if things people believe were true.
They bought a Marlin Goose Gun with a 36 inch barrel, fitted it with a choke and fired it for velocity and pattern.
Then they began cutting the barrel off in one inch increments and re-firing.
They continued until they were down to 12 inches.
The results......
Barrel length had no effect on pattern. The pattern was determined by the choke. A short barrel patterned the same as longer barrels.
Velocity only dropped significantly once under 18 inches.
Everything ballistically that is going to happen in a shotgun barrel happens within 18 inches.
Barrels over 28 inches actually lost velocity from friction.
Longer barrels to not "shoot harder" that's a left over idea from black powder guns that did burn powder more effectively in long barrels.
Things didn't "get out of hand" until the barrel was down to 12 inches.
A longer barrel only points better then a short barrel when shooting at ariel targets.
I think what they meant is because of screw-in chokes. If the choke is the same in an 18.5" and a 28" there will be no perceptable change in pattern beyond standard deviation. If you compare an 18.5" cylinder bore barrel and a 28" full choke barrel, (or vice versa) there will be a lot of difference in the patterns!Saw a video the other day stating that there is not a huge difference in spread patterns between a 28in and 18.5in shotgun barrel with birdshot because of chokes. Not sure I believe that but does it make a huge difference for rifled slugs?
Barrel lengths, while subjective, have been increasing in length over the years. it is not uncommon to see 30 and 32, and even34 inch tubes being used on skeet fields, trap fields, 5-stands and sporting clays. For small bores like 28, even in the field I prefer the longer barrels - better swing dynamics.
Most of your cheap "Walmart white box" 12 Trap and field loads are the the worst combination of your two example shells; A steel base, and a fiber wad with a shot wrap. The better ones (Win. AA, Rem. STS and Nitro 27 and Nitro Gold) have the brass base and one-piece wad with shot cup. The two you cut up, a Win. "Universal" and a Win. "Target & Field" are both inferior shells.I find that modern ammo with the plastic shot cups have the patterns tighter for a longer distance. You can see the difference if you are shooting with the two types of ammo shown in this picture. The pattern doesn't start to expand nearly as early in the new shotcup type ammo. That changes the choke choices for me compared to the old days. The barrel length doesn't change the results. I don't think a foot of barrel distance changes much in the big picture.
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Most of your cheap "Walmart white box" 12 Trap and field loads he the worst combination of your two example shells; A steel base, and a fiber wad with a shot wrap. The better ones (Win. AA, Rem. STS and Nitro 27 and Nitro Gold) have the brass base and one-piece wad with shot cup. The two you cut up, a Win. "Universal" and a Win. "Target & Field" are both inferior shells.
Barrel length over 20-24 inches, depending on type of action, does nothing ballistically, particularly in conjunction with screw-in chokes. It does, as has been pointed out by George P, change the swing dynamics, which has been noted by Trap shooters for many years, and more recently by Skeet and Sporting Clays shooters. Some of us old Trap shooters used 30" barrels for all kinds of hunting, too. I've shot many a grouse with a 30" Full 870.
Not sure what you mean by "pro courses". I shoot NSCA registered targets, so if that qualifies as "pro courses", then OK. I can tell you, both as a shooter and a National FITASC referee, NO one shoots a gun with barrels less than 30", and that includes the gas guns like my Beretta A400, my Browning O/Us, etc. My 12 wears 32". Wendell Cherry shoots a 34" Perazzi, the rest of the big dogs all shoot at least 32" - it is for the smooth swing dynamics I mentioned earlier. Even some 5'-5" ladies in their 70s I know shoot 30" barrels. It's all in what you find easy to swing. Shorter barrels start fast, but then they also tend to stop real fast as well. In super tight grouse coverts, that might be advantageous (I don't hunt grouse), but for open field birds, I like longer barrels there as well.Trap yes. Not Sporting clays at any course I have seen especially pro courses.